In the end my friends I've purchaced the Pentax K200D which I picked up for $699 Canadian with the 18-55mm DA kit lens. Nikon and Canon really are the biggest rivals it seems and dont mistake me. Both companies have an excellent build line, vast lens selection and amazing image quality.
However, I chose Pentax for the following reasons:

-The build quality of the K200D
-The price and versital lens selection (being able to use any pentax lens)
- The history of the company
- The use of 6 AA batteries vs a $95 doller battery
- genuinely liked what pentax had to offer

So I now begin on the Pentax trail so to speak. For an entery level DSLR it suits me.

-The price and versital lens selection (being able to use any pentax lens)- The history of the company- The use of 6 AA batteries vs a $95 doller battery- genuinely liked what pentax had to offer

My opinion here is that:
-old Pentax lenses are extremily rare & some of them,have really awful quality (I tested a few FA-s)
If you have a suplier or a reliable source for these lenses,that's awesome. I wouldn't recommand Ebay for this.
-Pentax was a name in the film era. In the digital world today,they have much more to acomplish to become opponents of greater brands
- batteries will drain faster
- no doubt,the K200D is a very good camera at that price tag,much better than flimsy-er built cameras from other brands
Nevertheless,it's a wise choice for a begineer-friend-camera.

The only things Pentax can draw attention are their low price camera bodies,that are very good for the value. But even so,the competition has much better featured cameras that is worth saving a little more $.
As for lenses,it's the same story:
-the old 100mm macro has beautiful optics,but lacks built quality
-the newer 40mm & 70mm pancakes lenses are beautiful,but the competition offers brighter apertures at very decent prices
-the budget 55-300mm is another example,because other brands offer better optics at a lower price tag (with stabilisation included)
-the 12-24 wide has the same price tag as the Sigma version,but the later offers better control over CA & less vigneting
Pentax lenses are also known for their weakness for CA.

And the list could continue.
The most attractive Pentax lenses I consider are the DA* 50-135mm F/2.8 and the newer kit lens 17-70mm F4.

I am not saying Pentax doesn't have good glass or lenses...no way! Just that if you research & care for "the best money can buy" deals,you will came to the same conclusion as me.

You just pointed out recent lenses. What about the 77mm f/1.8 and 43mm f/1.9? Also, you meant to say the recent Pentax standard zoom lenses have higher than normal CAs, easily correctable. Even the old and new 70-200mm lenses (FA 70-200mm and DA50-135) are in-line with their competitors price wise and performance wise with the 80-200mm at $1600 new and DA* at $700 new. I could go on, but Pentax probably has the largest collection of lenses compared to any other company.

-The price and versital lens selection (being able to use any pentax lens)- The history of the company- The use of 6 AA batteries vs a $95 doller battery- genuinely liked what pentax had to offer

My opinion here is that:-old Pentax lenses are extremily rare & some of them,have really awful quality (I tested a few FA-s) If you have a suplier or a reliable source for these lenses,that's awesome. I wouldn't recommand Ebay for this.-Pentax was a name in the film era. In the digital world today,they have much more to acomplish to become opponents of greater brands- batteries will drain faster- no doubt,the K200D is a very good camera at that price tag,much better than flimsy-er built cameras from other brands Nevertheless,it's a wise choice for a begineer-friend-camera.

The K20D and K200 both offer more features than their counter parts. The rich feature set, build quality is much more of a value than the Nikon or Canon equivalents. Period. There are plenty of good lenses to be had, some made by Pentax, some 3rd party.

If you're going to become a professional photographer, then I recommend Canon or Nikon because the system as a whole supports a pro better than Pentax (I need tilt/shift lenses for example, which are hard to come by in Pentax). However, if you're a hobbyist or a serious amateur, the Pentax will not limit you, and with the money you save on a superior body you can buy better glass.

Last edited by ravenmore on Sun Apr 12, 2009 5:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Im not limiting myself however Im a hobbiest and will probably never be a professional photographer. I've posted MY reasons for choosing Pentax and I stand by my decision.

The K200D has all the features I need plus more. Perhaps one day I will switch to Canon or Nikon but as I am just entering this HOBBY of mine I like Pentax just fine.

I started this post over a month ago... lol I have since purchaced the K200D and love everything about it. Thank you everyone for your help and replies but I feel this has become a Pentax bash. Everyone seems to really defend their brand... I thought we were all here talking about the love for photography.